Dewa adds 8 electric cars to fleet

Dubai: The drive to make Dubai green continues with the introduction of eight electric cars to the fleet of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, officials said on Wednesday.

The electric cars run exclusively on battery power and will be topped up at new electrical charging stations across the emirate.

The move is part of the Dubai Green Transport initiative and encourages the use of sustainable transportation with hybrid and electric vehicles, which will cut total carbon emissions in Dubai.

Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, said offsetting carbon fuels with renewable energy is critical for Dubai to reduce its impact on the environment.

"In line with the strategy to reduce carbon emissions in Dubai by 16 per cent by 2021, we take pride in being the first government organisation to add high-performance electric cars to its fleet. This move supports Dubai's ambition to achieve a 10 per cent increase in the total number of hybrid and electric cars in use by 2030. Dewa is the first public utility to make this ambition a reality," said Al Tayer. "The Green Charger initiative will hugely and effectively contribute to boosting the spread of electric cars in Dubai, which will decrease the carbon footprint of the Emirate," added Al Tayer.

Dewa opened the first charging station in February and installed 16 Green Charger stations for public use to recharge its electric cars. Twelve stations were built at Dewa offices, and they can charge 24 cars at once. Four charging stations have been installed at the Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Design District (D3).

Dewa is setting up three types of charging stations. Fast-charging stations that take 20-40 minutes will be installed at petrol stations. Medium-charging stations that take 2-4 hours and will be installed in shopping malls, parks, and offices, and home charging stations, which take 6-8 hours to charge.

Electric vehicle owners can visit any o f Dewa's customer service centres to register and get the Green Charger card. The documents required for registration are the user's Emirates ID card, driver's licence and vehicle registration. Customers receive the Green Charger bills via email, which they can settle using any of Dewa's payment channels.

Source: Dewa adds 8 electric cars to fleet